The 2021 Olympics are just a few days away and the excitement is building within the sports fans. The Summer Olympics is the biggest sporting event and consists of 33 different sports. Before the games start, many people love brushing their knowledge regarding the event. Many of us know the countries with the most Olympic medals but do you know there are over 50+ countries that have never won an Olympic Medal. Interesting? Isn’t it?
We all know Michael Phelps! The shark of Olympic swimming dominated the sport since he debuted back in 2000. He was so successful that he accumulated 28 Olympic medals in his career. These 28 Olympic medals put him above many countries that have never won an Olympic medal. Let’s check out the complete list of countries that have never won a medal in the Olympics.
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Countries Who Have Never Won a Medal in the Olympics
Here are few countries which you might not expect but are countries with no Olympic medal. These might be surprising and so we decided to write some details regarding these few countries.
Bangladesh
The neighboring country to India, Bangladesh is one of the densely populated countries. The country has done well in the recent past in the game of cricket but has failed to focus on other sports. Bangladesh has been part of the Olympics for the last few decades. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Flagbearer Siddikur Rahman was the first athlete to qualify on the basis of merit. Rahman is a golfer and qualified for the Rio Olympics as he finished 55th. All other athletes who have represented Bangladesh have been wildcard entrants. Bangladesh is also the most populous nation to have not won an Olympic medal.
Albania
Albania is one more nation that has failed to get an Olympic medal. The maximum number of athletes fielded by Albania was 11 at the Beijing Olympics and London Olympics. In remaining appearances, Albania has fielded less than 10 athletes. Mostly all athletes who have represented Albania have participated in swimming, wrestling, shooting and weightlifting.
Bhutan
Bhutan is one more Asian country that has failed to get an Olympic medal. Bhutan has been part of the Olympics for many years. Six Athletes is the maximum number of athletes Bhutan has fielded ever in the Olympics of 1984 and 1992. In 2016, Bhutan had two athletes, one each in archery and shooting. Both athletes faced early exit.
Congo
Congo is the second most populated nation that has failed to win a Summer Olympic medal. Congo had fielded 17 athletes at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics which still records as most athletes fielded by Congo.
List of Countries Who Have Never Won a Medal in the Olympics
As we said earlier, there are more than 50+ countries from 206 NOCs who have never won an Olympic medal. So let’s check out the complete list of countries here below. The source used for this information is Wikipedia.
Team (IOC code) | No. of Summer Olympics |
Albania (ALB) | 8 |
American Samoa (ASA) | 8 |
Andorra (AND) | 11 |
Angola (ANG) | 9 |
Antigua and Barbuda (ANT) | 10 |
Aruba (ARU) | 8 |
Bangladesh (BAN) | 9 |
Belize (BIZ) | 12 |
Benin (BEN) | 11 |
Bhutan (BHU) | 9 |
Bolivia (BOL) | 14 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) | 7 |
British Virgin Islands (IVB) | 9 |
Brunei (BRU) | 5 |
Burkina Faso (BUR) | 9 |
Cambodia (CAM) | 9 |
Cape Verde (CPV) | 6 |
Cayman Islands (CAY) | 10 |
Central African Republic (CAF) | 10 |
Chad (CHA) | 12 |
Comoros (COM) | 6 |
Republic of the Congo (CGO) | 12 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo (COD) | 10 |
Cook Islands (COK) | 8 |
Dominica (DMA) | 6 |
El Salvador (ESA) | 11 |
Equatorial Guinea (GEQ) | 9 |
The Gambia (GAM) | 9 |
Guam (GUM) | 8 |
Guinea (GUI) | 11 |
Guinea-Bissau (GBS) | 6 |
Honduras (HON) | 11 |
Kiribati (KIR) | 4 |
Korea (COR) | 0 |
Laos (LAO) | 9 |
Lesotho (LES) | 11 |
Liberia (LBR) | 12 |
Libya (LBA) | 10 |
Madagascar (MAD) | 12 |
Malawi (MAW) | 10 |
Maldives (MDV) | 8 |
Mali (MLI) | 13 |
Malta (MLT) | 16 |
Marshall Islands (MHL) | 3 |
Mauritania (MTN) | 9 |
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) | 5 |
Monaco (MON) | 20 |
Myanmar (MYA) | 17 |
Nauru (NRU) | 6 |
Nepal (NEP | 13 |
Nicaragua (NCA) | 12 |
Oman (OMA) | 9 |
Palau (PLW) | 5 |
Palestine (PLE) | 6 |
Papua New Guinea (PNG) | 10 |
Rwanda (RWA) | 9 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) | 6 |
Saint Lucia (LCA) | 6 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VIN) | 8 |
San Marino (SMR) | 14 |
São Tomé and Príncipe (STP) | 6 |
Seychelles (SEY) | 9 |
Sierra Leone (SLE) | 11 |
Solomon Islands (SOL) | 9 |
Somalia (SOM) | 9 |
South Sudan (SSD) | 1 |
Swaziland (SWZ) | 10 |
East Timor (TLS) | 4 |
Turkmenistan (TKM) | 6 |
Tuvalu (TUV) | 3 |
Vanuatu (VAN) | 8 |
Yemen (YEM) | 7 |
North Borneo (NBO) | 1 |
Malaya (MAL) | 2 |
Republic of China (ROC) | 3 |
Saar (SAA) | 1 |
North Yemen (YAR) | 2 |
South Yemen (YMD) | 1 |
Refugee Olympic Team (ROT) | 1 |
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